NASA has its sights set on Mars
Is it possible to send man to Mars? During the NASA Lunar Exploration and Analysis Group meeting, NASA space officials unveiled a small number of details of future plans for a manned mission to Mars.
NASA hopes to be able to deploy a "minimal" crew to the Red Planet on a spacecraft that weights 880,000lbs. The 30-month round trip would ideally take place as early as February 2031, though funding a project could range anywhere from $20 billion up to a massive $450 billion.
Not surprisingly, details regarding manned Moon missions could change at any time - and likely will. The six-month one-way trip would use a "closed-loop" system with the ability to recycle and reuse air and water aboard the craft. The crew would also eat plants that are growing on the spaceship.
NASA plans to send at least one type of vehicle and surface habitat before the astronauts arrive on the Red Planet. Once the astronauts arrive, nuclear energy would help them stay up to 16 months on the Martian surface before a return trip back to Earth.
Even though NASA and other nations have big plans for Mars, a number of major hurdles must be dealt with before a manned mission can be launched. Along with creating proper technology to ensure astronauts are protected from dangerous levels of cosmic radiation, a new generation of medical space equipment will need to be created in case a medical emergency takes place.
As space nations continue promising research geared towards the moon, many space observers believe the moon is just a stepping stone for future missions to the Red Planet. NASA will likely use manned moon missions as a testing ground for technologies that can be used later on Mars. NASA already is conducting a number of research projects on Mars including the impressive Mars Rovers.
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